WOMAN'S LONG STRUGGLE 79 



Europe who equaled her in her mastery of this classic 

 tongue. It was this distinguished Hellenist who graciously 

 delivered the address when one of her countrywomen, 

 Maria dalle Donne, received her doctorate in medicine and 

 surgery. After her graduation Dr. dalle Donne was given 

 charge of a school for midwives in which she rendered the 

 greatest service to her sex. Even the chair of anatomy in 

 the University of Bologna was held by a woman, Anna 

 Morandi-Menzolini, and her work was of the highest order. 

 The same position was held by another woman, Maria Pet- 

 raccini-Terretti, in the University of Ferrara. 



What a contrast between the attitude of the universities 

 of Italy and those of other parts of the world toward 

 women as students and professors! For a thousand years 

 the doors of the Italian universities have been open to 

 women, as well as to men ; and for a thousand years women, 

 as well as men, have received their degrees from these noble 

 and liberal institutions, and occupied the most important 

 positions in their gift, and that, too, with the approval and 

 encouragement of both spiritual and temporal rulers. For 

 these wise and broad-minded men did not regard it un- 

 womanly for Laura Bassi to teach physics, for Clotilde 

 Tambroni to teach Greek, for Dorotea Bucca to teach med- 

 icine, for Maria Gaetana to teach differential and integral 

 calculus, for Anna Morandi to teach anatomy, for Novella 

 d 'Andrea to teach canon law, or even, if we may believe 

 Denifle, one of the best of authorities, for the daughters of 

 a Paris professor to teach theology. 1 Yes, what a contrast, 

 indeed, between the Universities of Bologna and Padua, 

 with their long and honored list of women graduates and 



1 Carlyle, in a lecture on Dante, and the Divina Commedia, de- 

 clares that " Italy has produced a greater number of great men than 

 any other nation, men distinguished in art, thinking, conduct, and 

 everywhere in the departments of intellect." He could with equal 

 truth have said that Italy has produced more great women than any 

 other nation. 



